Grand Master Woo K. Kim was born in South Korea and has studied Tae Kwon Do for over thirty years.  He was the 1968 World Kick boxing Champion and is a 9th Degree Black Belt. Grand Master Kim's special teaching techniques have been effectively used to train both Korean and American special forces as well as very young children.  Grand Master Kim taught at Stanford University, Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation.  He taught at Stanford University for more than fifteen years.  Grand Master Kim's school, Kim's Tae Kwon Do Academy, was established over twenty years ago, and is the most prestigious of its type in the area.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF GRAND MASTER KIM

    I was eight years old when I began my study of Tae Kwon Do.  I studied under Grand Master Jong-Soo Hong in a village near Pusan City.  By 1966, I reached the rank of fourth Dan and I began my life's work as an instructor in Tae Kwon Do.  I trained long hours, fought my way to the top, and in 1968, I became the Kickboxing World Champion.  Beginning in 1970, I taught martial arts to Korean military forces.  I also taught the Korean Special Forces techniques in hand-to-hand combat, knife self-defense, and weapons.  By 1972, I opened my first Tae Kwon Do studio in Seoul, Korea.  The class size in Korea was more than double the normal class size in the United States, (about 50 per class).  In the next seven years, over five hundred black belts graduated under my tutelage from the Korean school.  In 1978, I had the opportunity to teach American Special Forces my special combat techniques.  This led me to relocate my training centers to the United States in 1980.

    In 1980, I opened five studios in California: San Jose, Belmont, at Stanford University, Mountain View, and Menlo Park.  I also opened a studio in Tacoma, Washington.  During the past twenty years, more than one hundred fifty black belts have graduated from Kim's Tae Kwon Do Academies.

    My Tae Kwon Do is the traditional Tae Kwon Do of Korea.  When you become a student at Kim's Tae Kwon Do Academy, you learn the original philosophy of Tae Kwon Do, and the original Korean techniques.  Moreover, you learn the beautiful art of Tae Kwon Do from a Korean Grand Master.

    Tae Kwon Do is more than just a sport or method of self-defense.  Tae Kwon Do is a way of life a way of living in the Taoist tradition.  Living in the Taoist tradition means appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in daily life.  The natural result of this dedicated practice is harmony with your surroundings and a happy, serene state of mind.  The Taoist ideal is that of the still, calm, reflecting mirror mind.  The dedicated practice of Tae Kwon Do practice brings about this serene mental clarity.

    Tae Kwon Do is a practice that strengthens both the mind and the body.  This blending of the cerebral and the physical results in a heightened aptitude for self-defense.  The mental aspect of Tae Kwon Do generates energy for every part of the body.  The physical aspect of Tae Kwon Do tones the body, clears the mind and develops the nervous system.  Doing Tae Kwon Do requires harmony of mind and body.  The results of this type of training are the cultivation of focus, strong executive ability, discipline, courage and self-confidence.  Self-confidence is a basis for emotional stability and fosters patience.  These qualities are the source of an honest and sincere personality.  This is Tae Kwon Do.

    What sort of student does well at my academy?  A good student is a eager learner, very serious and very hard working.  Each time a good student comes into the dojang, (studio), he or she remembers that they want to try hard and do their best.  The best student projects the tenets of Tae Kwon Do: honesty, integrity, respect, and perseverance.  They show trust, leadership, and endurance.  Moreover, in turn, Tae Kwon Do can build one's self-confidence and self-esteem.

    In our dojang, we seek to:

            1.    Appreciate Tae Kwon Do as an art and sport.
            2.    Improve mental discipline and emotional balance.
            3.    Achieve physical fitness: cardiovascular capacity, flexibility and physical                    strength.
            4.    Learn self-defense skills.
            5.    Develop character and an ethical sense: honesty, integrity, respect, and                    perseverance.

    The new student must always work hard to attain skills and qualities necessary to reach black belt level.

Grand Master Woo K. Kim
9th Degree Black Belt